Gov. Pat McCrory and Republican lawmakers would then be able to reappoint board members who agree with their philosophy, essentially clearing out Democrats and other dissenters whose terms haven’t yet expired.
[...]
After just 15 minutes of discussion, the bill passed easily along party lines.

After the meeting, Stein called the proposal a “power grab” that’s “breathtaking in its scope,” noting that many of the boards in the bill’s cross-hairs were created to protect consumers, injured workers and the environment.

“They’re going after everything so they can put their stamp on it,” Stein said. “Commissions are supposed to be independent; they’re not supposed to be ideological. And I fear they’re trying to politicize state government in a way that will hurt North Carolinians.”

But there’s a despicable liar out there somewhere! How will we ever know who it is? Now we’ll always be wondering who among us did this deplorable act. It might be anybody. It might be someone we all know. It might be someone who has graced these very pages. It might be someone known for committing dirty tricks. It might be someone who has gotten into trouble with the twitter many times in the past. It might be someone who routinely attends local political functions with a s***-eating grin. It might be someone who slimes up & tries to make friends with you just to get dirt on you for purposes of blackmail later. It might be someone who isn’t what they appear to be. It might be someone who works on local political campaigns…

How, oh how will we ever know who set these events into motion? These events which (unintentionally I’m sure) gave Rep. Moffitt the appearance of being persecuted in the days leading up to the last election?

The same party was not in charge for 140 years. The Democratic party of today is vastly different than the Democratic party of 140 years ago. For that matter the Democratic party of today is very different than the Democratic party of 30 years ago.

Likewise the Republican party of today has strayed very far from its days as the party of Lincoln.

DD, Are you expecting me (as my Tea Party stalker did) to defend every fact and every opinion in every article I didn’t write, but linked without comment if you find something to object to in them? Even the cartoons and cat videos??

“That’s politics, you might say, but Sen. Bill Rabon’s bill goes far beyond routine politics. It’s one of the more blatant power grabs in state history, and would clear the way for unchecked ideological policymaking from commissions designed to be independent and non-ideological. It gets rid of public servants before their terms end and without regard to their expertise, experience or quality of service.

Rabon acknowledged as much. He said the terminations had nothing to do with job performance but would just let the commissions be filled with appointees who “are more like-minded and willing to carry out the philosophy of the new administration.”

“This administration should begin to wield its power,” Rabon said.

The party in power, of course, rightfully has the authority to fill vacancies on state boards when they arise. It does not have the power to cut appointees’ terms short across the board. State law staggers those terms for good reason: That approach best blends a need or desire for new blood with the value of historical knowledge and subject mastery. Many of these boards oversee extremely complicated matters. Their members shouldn’t come and go every two years with election results, which state law has long recognized by providing longer, staggered terms.”